A supervision model: From initial interview to completed supervision assignment

By Lilja Cajvert

The book presents a personal model of supervision developed by the author and based on her long experience as supervisor and university teacher in Sweden and in continental Europe. Working models by the author and other supervisors, and appreciated in supervision groups, are described in detail. Several quotes are given from supervisees within a range of activities.
The book may be used of many professionals within various supervision activities: newcomers and students in supervision training will learn how a supervision model can be formed and developed. Those with more experience as a supervisor may be inspired to consciously reflect on their own style and get new clues on how to work in a different way.
Supervisees may also benefit by taking part in experiences of others. Managers budgeting supervision may find useful information about how supervision can be perceived and experienced by the supervised. Procurers can also gain broader knowledge and take part in the experiences and expectations the supervised have of supervision and of the supervisor.
Lilja Cajvert: "Through continuous reflection on experiences, a model has emerged. There is a meaning in what I do, a common thread, a thought, a theoretical idea. Supervision is a complex professional practice and too responsible, demanding and lonely work to be practiced without reflection and awareness of what you are doing, why and for what purpose".

Lilja Cajvert is senior lecturer in social work, previously at Gothenburg University, Sweden.
She is a social worker, licensed psychotherapist, supervisor and author. She has a long
experience as teacher and supervisor for professionals within various occupations of care,
social work and school. She is also working internationally as supervisor and lecturer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books on Demand
• Release date: May 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9789180802888

Lilja Cajvert

Lilja Cajvert was previously senior reader in social work at Gothenburg University, Sweden. She is a social worker, licensed psychotherapist, supervisor and author. She as a long experience as teacher and supervisor for professionals within various occupations of care, social work and school. She is also working internationally as supervisor and lecturer

Book preview

1. The Interview

The supervisor

How is a supervision assignment established? Usually a manager, or a person who is part of a management team, contacts a supervisor asking if she/he is available to supervise a group of workers. If the supervisor is interested and available, a time is suggested for an interview.

The interview for a potential supervision assignment can take a variety of forms. It depends on who is doing the interview, who is present during the interview, and what one wants to know about the supervisor and his/her supervision model. Here is a description of how the supervisor might present himself/herself at an interview with a potential supervision group based on my own general technique.

The setting of the interview may vary:

The whole group is present

Some individuals are representatives for the group, being assigned by the group to interview a few supervisors

The manager interviews initially and on a later occasion the whole group

Only the manager interviews the supervisor

Less commonly the group does not interview the supervisor at all, but relies on the description in an ad and prior knowledge of the supervisor.

The persons present at the interview influence the content and questions that the supervisor might ask of the group. The purpose of the interview should be to gain a sufficiently clear idea of one another to be ready to begin a supervision together.

Information prior to the interview

Sometimes a group might request a short introduction from the supervisor prior to the interview (see text in the box below); I write a brief note on what I consider important for the group to know about my experience of supervision, my theoretical basis and my supervision method. Furthermore, it’s important for them to know how I perceive my own and their duties, and our shared responsibility.

At the end I give some references from recently completed and ongoing supervisions. Since I’m developing and changing as a supervisor and references from earlier work are no longer representative. I forward the same text if the group has selected me as supervisor prior to an interview with their manager:

Lilja Cajvert, social worker, Ph.lic., lecturer in social work, reg. psychotherapist and supervisor

Experience of supervision

I have been working as a supervisor in Sweden since 1983, for several government and administrative authorities, in therapeutic and other professional areas such as social services, geriatric care, healthcare, childcare, fostering services, penal establishments, institutional care, schools, family law, institutions for migrant minors etc.

Other relevant experience

I have been a teacher, worked as a supervisor and been an academic examiner in university social studies departments, M.A. programs, supervisor training and psychotherapy courses. Since 2015, I have run courses of supervision education in psychosocial work at the Department of Social Work, Göteborg University. I have also since 1998 periodically undertaken supervision internationally in post-conflict countries. Between 2012–2015 I took part in an EU project that developed a European standard dictionary and matrix of competence for supervision and coaching within Europe.

Basic theory and supervision method

My theoretical basis is in object-relations theory and attachment theory emphasising the importance of relationships for the development of the individual, and systems theory that stresses a holistic view seeing everyone within her social context. My general attitude derives from Wittgenstein, Socrates and Buber’s philosophy, as well as phenomenology. I utilise a variety of supervision theories and supervision methods to develop the dialogue and process within the framework of process supervision, method supervision and task or case supervision. Within supervision the supervisees are given the opportunity to reflect upon and question their task and what is being demanded of them, to use their resources and knowledge/methods and in this way broaden their views and see what unfolds in a variety of perspectives. I work innovatively and develop methods and techniques that I apply practically in supervision and continue to develop on a theoretical level in my texts.

Focus during supervision

Within supervision you can raise any issue you are struggling with in your work, to find the best solution to work professionally with your clients. All group members are active and participate. The person in focus formulates with my help a supervision question that she at the end of the supervision session wish to see resolved, and then decide how to proceed. Everyone in the group and myself as the supervisor contributes to resolving the question from a range of perspectives.

The supervisee in focus chooses with my help as supervisor how she wish to use the group’s resources. One can choose techniques like ‘reflecting team’, ‘as if ’, ‘role play’, ‘taping’, and so on. The group members can also offer suggestions and advice on what they would have done given the situation and facing the question as described by the supervisee. Thus, they get counsel on their ideas while the supervisee in focus observes, and finally chooses the path which she herself wants to adopt. For her it is a case of learning and broadening her point of view through someone else’s